Copenhagen to Bergen

Copenhagen to Bergen and Hurtigruten

We decided to self disembark from the Regal Princess. We have found that that works best for us but you have to be able to manage your luggage yourself. As we have various weight limitations on some of our flights we have packed less than we normally do and have one large case and a small backpack each. The advantage of doing it yourself is that you don't have to put your cases out the night before, you don't have to pack a separate carry bag for when you don't have access to your main case, you can choose what time it suits to leave the ship and you don't have to find your cases in the luggage hall.

We had to be out of our cabin by 8am so we were pretty organised and off the ship by 8.30. There were taxis waiting so we were straight into a taxi and headed to the airport for our 11.50am flight to Bergen. We were there in no time at all and all checked into our flight after reorganising the cases again as over weight! The ship tried scare tactics by telling us that there could be up to a 2 hour wait for taxis so you should book a ship's transfer to the airport. The taxi was probably about $20 cheaper than the ship's transfer price for 2 people but the advantage of the taxi is that you can control your timing. The ship's transfer would be ok if you had no time constraints or a lot of luggage.

Our flight with SAS left on time and all went well. On our arrival into Bergen we found a bus that was going to the Hurtigruten terminal so we hopped on. I think we were supposed to have had prebooked the ship's transfer at a price. We will see if it is on our bill at the end of our cruise. Our original intention was to get the Metro then walk 10 minutes to the terminal. The bus was much easier!

Once at the terminal we had to wait 30 mins until 3pm to checkin. Then at 4pm we had to watch a safety briefing before we were allowed onto the ship. Our cabins were not accessible until 6pm as the ship only arrived into port at 2.30pm. All the public areas were very comfortable to wait in and to contemplate life on board for the next 12 days. I think we will be quite comfortable.

At 6pm we got access to our cabin. It was not really a surprise but once we started to unpack our cases and tried to figure out where everything was going to go we wondered whether we had made the right choice. No drawers, no bedside tables, no tissues, no fridge (how will we keep our drinks cold?!), no where to store our large cases, no TV so no webcam.... how will we know if the sun is shining??!!

It is open seating tonight and a buffet in the main dining room whereas we normally have 2nd seating which is at 6.30pm. There are 4 seating times.... 5.30, 6.30, 8.00 and 8.30. We would prefer a later seating but 8 is a bit too late so we will stick with our 6.30 time slot.

Our package includes three meals a day plus tea and coffee through out the day. We have spoken to people that only have breakfast included... these options were not offered to us. Consequently there are various cafes that you can purchase food at a high price.... just like the wine at $15 to $20 for a glass!! I'll stick to water (which is free) at dinner and drink my own wine in my cabin. The evening meal in the MDR is a set 3 course meal.

All in all a successful transition from one ship to the other... lets see what tomorrow brings.

Views from the plane enroute to Bergen

Restocking our ship... MS Polarlys

Kysten... the a'la carte restaurant. We can pay an upgrade price of around $35AU each to eat here. We might just have to give this a go! The king crabs look so tempting!!

Brygga Bistro is where we can go for our complimentary tea and coffee which is part of our package (otherwise $5) or where people that don't have the complete meal package can purchase food.